The Affair of the Necklace
by linesfade
Summary: The Rings of Power weren't the only things to be forged in Middle-earth. In fact, there was a Necklace...two of them to be forward about it, one meant for an Elf, and another meant to be found far, far away. PLEASE R&R!!!!! I want to know what you think!
1. The Lure of Things of Old

**Author's Notes:** This should be a bit more with the books, but I _am_ going to wind the books and the movies together...Here it is. Enjoy!  
  
**PS**: Here you go, Savina! This one's for you! Hope you enjoy it! *wink*   
  
**Summary:** Taryn Moynihan, steeped in Irish background, finds a necklace with designs that she thinks to be Celtic. Only they aren't. There is a bit of script on the necklace that Taryn doesn't even notice until it is too late...and she arrives in Middle Earth in the midst of the War of the Ring.  
  


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**Prologue**  
_The Lure of Things of Old_

  
  
    Taryn Moynihan loved antique shops, she just couldn't get enough of old things, and each time she entered one of those stores, she knew she would find something Celtic in background.  
  
    Being Irish, she loved anything that had to do with her heritage and the Old Ways of life, as she tended to call them. She was eighteen, and as she picked her way through the piles of cracked vases, broken mirrors, and yellowed quilts, the old women perusing the store for anything that happened to strike their fancy shot the young girl arrogant glares.  
  
    _'Let them glare,'_ Taryn thought, a smug grin settling on her face.  
  
    "Taryn!" A middle-aged woman, probably in her mid-fifties, called out, a broad grin making its way across her face.   
  
    "Eileen!" Taryn called back, a grin matching the storekeeper's crossing her features.  
  
    "There you are! I've been wondering when you'd come back."  
  
    "Why is that?" Taryn replied, taking the woman up into a friendly embrace before speaking any more.  
  
    The woman simply held a pleased grin on her face as she took Taryn's hand in hers before leading her off towards the back of the store. Taryn was apprehensive. Not that she hadn't been in the back of the Barrow-Downs before, Eileen was like an aunt to the eighteen year old. No, it was just that Taryn had never seen Eileen act the way she was acting now.  
  
    "I have something for you, Taryn." She said finally and released Taryn's hand before a large vanity mirror that had a large star in the center of it, and tiny vein-like cracks extending from it in all directions. Taryn observed her appearance and took in her golden hair, the way it shined as the sunlight poured through the tiny window above her head. Her hair cascaded over her shoulders in straight lengths, and made Taryn wonder how she had been blessed with such a beautiful trait. She had received the hair from her mother who had passed away at her birth, or so she had heard. Her hazel eyes had come from her father, and as she gazed at the reflection of them, she became entranced by the vision of them. They were mostly green, but held splotches of blue and brown, and appeared to even have a ring of gray-blue around the outer part of her irises. Despite the beauty of her eyes, and the elegance of her hair, Taryn had always felt unwanted...ugly, if you even wanted to go so far. She did. She had never found herself attractive, and had never had a date in her life. Of course, Kindergarten never counted for anything but learning your A-B-C's, so Taryn never even thought about her past. It was too painful.   
  
    Taryn's father had left her with her grandparents - her mother's parents - when she was only five, claiming he had not the know-how to raise a child properly. She spat on his memory. Suddenly, Eileen's voice brought the girl back to reality.  
  
    "Taryn? Are you all right, Love?"  
  
    "Hmm? Oh, yeah. I'm fine..." Taryn waved Eileen's worry away and the graying woman turned her gray eyes upon the table beside her once more.   
  
    "Ah! Here it is! Taryn, come here!" Taryn pulled her gaze from the ruined mirror, and took in what it was Eileen held in her hands.   
  
    "Eileen! It's...BEAUTIFUL!"   
  
    In her hands, Eileen held a necklace, very ancient, and round in shape. In the center of the amulet was a blood red stone, that held flecks of some kind of stone akin to silver and for a moment, Taryn swore that she could see a tiny world nestled inside the jewel. The jewel was mounted on a fine piece of gold with intricate Celtic knots all the way around it. Where the amulet joined the chain was a very intricate design that looked to Taryn to have rubbed off for the most part. She couldn't quite make out what it had been, but she knew that it must have been beautiful.   
  
    "Do you like it, Taryn? I thought you might...that's why I saved it for you. I got it in about two days ago, and it just screamed 'Taryn' at me. I had to keep it off the shelves."   
  
    Taryn was speechless. "I...I love it, Eileen. It's beautiful!" Suddenly, Taryn remembered herself, and pulled her birthday money from her pocket. Eileen batted the hand holding the money away.   
  
    "None of that. Put it away!" Taryn frowned at the woman. "Child, I said no! Consider it your birthday present. Happy Eighteenth, Love."   
  
    "Oh, Eileen, thank you so much! You're an angel!" Taryn wrapped the woman up in an embrace once more before taking the gem in one hand. Taryn's gaze shifted back over to the mirror. "But about the mirror..."   
  
    Eileen followed her gaze over to the mirror and frowned. "That old thing? Hell, you can have it too! I'll put a new glass in it for you if you like..."   
  
    "No. I want it just the way it is." Taryn walked over to the mirror and ran her fingers over the Celtic carvings of the cherry wood. Taryn knew it would match her bedroom perfectly, being a red-stained wood,and she thought that the designs on the mirror matched those on the necklace perfectly. Suddenly, a shrill bell rang out front, and Eileen cringed.   
  
    "I'll be right back, Love. You can stay back here if you want. Let me go take care of this..." With that, Eileen walked out of the room, and Taryn took the necklace in both hands, slipped it over her head, and watched in amazed silence as the jewel swirled to life around her neck, and the mirror came to life.   
  
    In a matter of moments, the back room was empty, save for the odds and ends kept off of the shelves, and all of the dust that had collected upon them over the years.   
  
    Taryn; however, was nowhere to be found... 


	2. A Vision of the Future

**Author's Notes:** This should be a bit more with the books, but I _am_ going to wind the books and the movies together...Here it is. Enjoy!   
  
**Summary:** Taryn Moynihan, steeped in Irish background, finds a necklace with designs that she thinks to be Celtic. Only they aren't. There is a bit of script on the necklace that Taryn doesn't even notice until it is too late...and she arrives in Middle Earth in the midst of the War of the Ring.  
  


* * *

  
  
**TRANSLATIONS / DEFINITIONS:**  
  
_talan_- loft used by the Elves in Lothlórien to build their homes upon. Also called a _flet_.  
  
_melamin_-my love  
  


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**Chapter One**  
_A Vision of the Future_

  
  
    Far away voices. Male voices. Followed by a deep woman's voice. Despite how deep it sounded to her ears, it didn't grate upon them, instead it flowed over her senses like molasses...a sweet sound, and soothing to her thoughts. The voice made Taryn envision a ravishing beauty.   
  
    Those far away voices soon drew nearer, and Taryn heard words. Not English words, but something...different. Never in her eighteen years had she heard such a tongue, and she had taken courses in many different languages: French, German, and Spanish she could speak fluently, but the others...they were nothing like this. She could only describe this language as beautiful.   
  
    Taryn tried to open her eyes, and a groan escaped her thin lips as the sunlight made the sensitive orbs feel as if they were being scalded. The beautiful, melodious voices stopped immediately, and Taryn could sense every gaze in the room turn to her. Suddenly the woman's voice began anew. The language was the same as before, still unknown to Taryn, but there was a hint of familiarity to it. Taryn smiled at the sound of such a magical and romantic language...the way it flowed so effortlessly from the woman's tongue, whoever she was.   
  
    Taryn kept asking herself why she couldn't have learned _this_ language.   
  
    The voice paused for an answer, and upon receiving none, spoke in a tongue Taryn could understand. English.   
  
    "Do you understand me, Child?"   
  
    Taryn managed a weak nod, but still kept her eyes closed. The woman gave an order in the strange tongue, and immediatey the room darkened. "Open your eyes now, it is safe. No harm will come to you here."   
  
    Taryn could hear the smile in her voice, and then did as requested. When she opened her eyes, they took in a sight she was not prepared to see.   
  
    The woman was an Elf. She was not; however, just _any_ Elf. She was Galadriel, the Lady of Lothlórien. Taryn took in the sight of the crisp, white Elven garb and knew she had to be dreaming.   
  
    "You are not dreaming, Taryn." Galadriel's smile widened as Taryn sat up slowly in the bed and glanced around the quarters she was in.   
  
    "This is a...healer's _flet_..." Taryn whispered to herself, taking in all of the room's surroundings.   
  
    "Indeed." The Lady of the Wood nodded and ushered the healers away. "They had thought you would not respond to their treatments, and indeed they hardly seemed to work on you. You are a very stubborn girl, Taryn."   
  
    "How do you know my...name?" Taryn regretted the question the moment it left her mouth, but Galadriel simply laughed.   
  
    "I think you know, Child." Taryn nodded as Galadriel's face turned serious. "You are not of this realm are you? I can sense a difference in you...that is not in my other Elves."   
  
    Taryn began to shake her head, but stopped and looked at Galadriel strangely. "_OTHER_ Elves?"   
  
    "You _are_ an Elf, are you not?" Galadriel raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow in question.   
  
    "_Me_? An _Elf_? No...no, I'm not. I'm no Elf," Taryn was taken aback by the Lady's question. "Why?"   
  
    Galadriel pushed the straight golden hair back from the girl's face and ran a finger along the ridge of her right ear. "This is why." Her finger came to rest upon the tip of Taryn's ear. The girl's hand flew up to touch her ear as Galadriel removed her hand and eighteen-year-old fingers met with a pointed tip.   
  
    "No. No, this can't be...I...I'm a human..."   
  
    Galadriel looked at the girl as if she had lost her mind. "Well, you may have thought as much before, Bearer, but you must think so no longer."   
  
    "Bearer?" Taryn whispered to herself, and Galadriel nodded.   
  
    "Yes..._Bearer_. Did you hit your head, Child? Where did you come from?"   
  
    "Cleveland, Ohio..," Galadriel looked at the girl nervously before her gaze fluttered down to the blood red amulet around Taryn's neck. The amulet was swirling jovially and emitting a soft aqua glow, despite the color of the stone.   
  
    "Oh..." The Lady of the Wood took the amulet dangling about Taryn's neck in one hand and gazed into it long and hard. Taryn felt a wave of anxiousness come over her as the Elven Queen stared into the gemstone that hung so close to the tender skin of her neck. Suddenly, Galadriel opened her eyes with a start. "A vision has come to me, in which you _were_ a human, barely a girl, who had come into contact with an element of great power. _This_..," Galadriel took the chain from around Taryn's neck and laid the amulet into the girl's hand. "...is how you have come to be here, and _this_ is also a Necklace of Power."   
    "A Necklace of Power? I've never heard..." Taryn began, and Galadriel held up a hand to silence her.   
  
    "It has been lost for some time now. The fact that you have found it is...a miracle. There was another who was supposed to receive it, although he knows nothing of it. He will be inexplicably drawn to it, now that it is within the forests of Lothlórien. In fact...he was the one who found you." Galadriel searched the girl's eyes, and met with only confusion and fear.   
  
    "Because of the Necklace?" Taryn inquired, her green eyes latching onto the bright blue depths of the Lady of the Wood.   
  
    "Presumably so," She replied. "And if that is the case, then he will be drawn to you again and again."   
  
    Taryn sighed. Who _was_ this mystery Elf?   
  
    Galadriel took in her expression and instantly knew what she was thinking. "Would you like to meet him? He awaits your recovery...He wanted to speak with you before, but I bade him wait until you were healed." Galadriel smiled brightly and stood, holding her hand out to aid Taryn's wobbly legs.   
  
    "I would love to." Taryn grinned as she took Galadriel's hand, and stood before the door to the outside of the _talan_ the healer's home stood on. Galadriel pulled the door open, and the bright sunlight reflecting off of the glistening tree leaves hit Taryn right in her eyes. She winced at the shot of sunlight invading her eyes until they had adjusted to the sudden stream of bright light. Once her eyes were adjusted, a breathtaking sight met her eyes, albeit that it was not the Elf she had expected. Taryn tried to bow to the Elf before her, but found it increasingly hard to do so, thanks to the immobility that still held partial control over her body.   
  
    "Lord Celeborn, _melamin_, meet Lady Taryn. She will stay in the Realm of Lothlórien until she is fully mended." Galadriel spoke softly, her husband beaming down at the girl.   
  
    "Welcome to Lothlórien, Lady Taryn. You are most welcome here." Celeborn spoke gracefully, his white tunic and robes matching the garb of the Lady of the Wood herself, and his silver hair glinting in the sunlight breaking through the treetops of Caras Galadhon to make him seem infinitely more majestic than he looked already. "I do believe there is a Marchwarden who is yearning to meet you...such an enchanting young Elf, you are."   
  
    Taryn shivered. "A...Marchwarden? Meet me?"   
  
    Galadriel laid a hand on her shoulder. "Yes. Come, we shall lead you to him." Taryn shook with nervousness. She was in Lothlórien, which had quickly become her favorite place by far in Middle Earth over the course of her six years of obsession with J.R.R. Tolkien's fictional world.   
  
    Lord Celeborn extended his arm to the girl, and Taryn allowed herself to be led through the trees by the Lord himself. As they walked, she took in every bit of the beauty of the forest she could, quickly realizing that the 'fictional' world she had fallen so deeply in love with was no longer fictional. It was as real as the pointed ears she now bore...which both made her extremely happy, and frightened her to her very core... 


	3. The Forests of Lothlorien

**Author's Notes:** This should be a bit more with the books, but I _am_ going to wind the books and the movies together...Here it is. Enjoy!   
  
**Summary:** Taryn Moynihan, steeped in Irish background, finds a necklace with designs that she thinks to be Celtic. Only they aren't. There is a bit of script on the necklace that Taryn doesn't even notice until it is too late...and she arrives in Middle Earth in the midst of the War of the Ring.  
  


* * *

**TRANSLATIONS / DEFINITIONS:**  
  
  
_a'maelamin_ = my beloved   
_mellyrn_ = Mallorn; huge trees that grow only in the forest of Lothlórien.   
_Mae govannen na Lórien_ = Welcome to Lórien.   
_Elbereth_ = The Queen of the Stars and spouse of Manwë the King of Arda, great among the Queens of the Valar. She set the stars in the sky, for which the Eldar of Middle-earth revered her, calling her by the name of Elbereth, meaning 'star-kindler'.   
_Haldir O Lórien_ = Haldir from Lorien  
  


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**Chapter Two**  
_The Forests of Lothlorien_

  
  
    Taryn walked through the woods of Lothlórien with the Lord of the Wood himself as her guide. And damn if he wasn't gorgeous. Galadriel must have heard Taryn's thoughts yet again, because she laughed and placed a hand on her shoulder. The girl gave a shy grin and kept on walking, watching the trees ahead of her with piqued interest and keeping a weary eye on the tangled roots of the _Mellyrn_ trees that sprouted up at her booted feet.   
  
    It seemed that the Lord and Lady had immediately taken a liking to Taryn and, while she was still unconscious, had clothed her in the grey garb of the Lórien elves. Galadriel had provided her with one of the most beautiful gowns Taryn had ever seen earlier that morning, and she had donned it immediately and spun around the room with excitement, watching the skirt of the gray-silver silk dress flare around her. Across the front were embroidered a Celtic-looking design and secured across the front were tiny shining beads of silver. The dress fell a little past her ankles, and the back of it had a little bit of a train, about a foot's worth, that seemed to never get dirty despite the forest floor. Taryn chalked it up to Elvish craftsmanship.   
  
    Needless to say, Taryn was thankful. If she had remained in the clothing that she had been wearing when whoever it was had found her, she knew that questions would arise that she was not in the least prepared to answer. Taryn gazed back up at Celeborn, and his smiling face gazed down at her again. His silver hair blew with the slight breeze that laced the forest, and those blue eyes...oh the depths of them! Taryn had to look away from his face for fear of drowning in them. They held variations of blue: from light to dark and eveything in between.   
  
    "Where are you from, Taryn..if I may be permitted to inquire of such a thing?" Celeborn inquired, breaking the growing silence of the walk.   
  
    Taryn glanced at Galadriel, her eyes widening. She had no clue what to do here, let alone say to Celeborn.   
  
    _'Tell him the truth, Taryn. I will assure him of it,'_ Galadriel's voice filtered through her head.   
  
    Taryn nodded slightly and sucked in a breath. How do you tell such a creature, let alone Celeborn, such a thing that might be construed as blasphemy? Surely he would understand, wouldn't he?   
  
    "I..," Taryn began somewhat courageously, trying to find her correct wording and failing miserably. "I came from Earth."   
  
    Celeborn laughed, and immediately Taryn felt a tidal wave of stupidity hit her. The Lord of Lothlórien came to a halt quickly and Taryn nearly fell over out of shock. Celeborn braced her with his hands, placing one on each of her shoulders and looked deep into her hazel eyes. "Taryn, we _are_ in Earth. Middle-earth, but Earth nonetheless. Please, do not be afraid to speak the truth."   
  
    "But I do...I am...speaking truth..," she protested softly, averting her eyes to the near-black dirt that made up the fertile floor of the forest.   
  
    "Then why do you avoid my eyes, Taryn? Have you committed some hideous crime that you hide from us?" His eyes pleaded with the young girl to speak.   
  
    Taryn shook her head. "No."   
  
    "Borne witness to such an event?"   
  
    "No."   
  
    Celeborn had just opened his mouth to speak again when Galadriel laid her hand upon his shoulder.   
  
    "Let her speak, _a'maelamin_. She has much to say, and if she does not wish to say anything to us yet, then let her be silent. She will speak of her past when she is ready." Taryn's eyes came up to meet Galadriel's icy blue ones, and found them immensely comforting instead of searching. _'He will believe you, once you choose to tell him who you truly are, Taryn...just as I believe you.'_   
  
    Taryn nodded, and found hersef willing to continue on their quest to locate her rescuer even more than earlier. She was determined to find out who this mystery elf was.   
  
    "May we continue, my Lord?" Taryn inquired as politely as possible, trying to edge his mind off of who she really was.   
  
    "Of course. Onward then, to the Northern borders of _Caras Galadhon_, where our Marchwardens are patrolling this very moment." Celeborn said uneasily, breaking the enveloping silence once again. Shortly after; however, the silence returned in full force and Taryn was afraid that she would go mad if any of them didn't start talking soon. Just as if on cue, Galadriel spoke.   
  
    "What is it like, Taryn?" Her deep voice echoed off of the giant Mallorn trees and found its was to the girl's ears.   
  
    "What is _what_ like, my Lady?" Taryn inquired, curious as to what Galadriel was hinting at.   
  
    "Cle--Your home. What is it like there?" Galadriel's eye twinkled with something akin to mischief and Taryn had to smile as she noticed.   
  
    Taryn sighed. "Home...There is a Great Lake there, in between where I live and another country. It gets really cold in the wintertime, and in that season snow covers the ground like a white blanket..," Taryn paused a moment to take in the look on the Lord and Lady's faces which held nothing short of astonishment. "In the springtime it's so pretty. The air still has a chill to it, but it's beginning to get warmer. In the summer we swim in pools, which are man-made lakes, I suppose, and we wear shorts. It's quite comfortable there up until the humidity rises so high, you'd think it was one hundred degrees outside." Celeborn visibly winced, and Galadriel stifled a laugh.   
  
    "What are...'shorts'?" Galadriel inquired after she had conquered her laughter.   
  
    Taryn couldn't help but laugh herself. "Shorts are...short leggings that stop about mid-thigh, er, the ones I wear are anyway." Taryn blushed as Celeborn raised his head in amusement. She continued quietly, "Home is perfect...just like it is here. I love my home, and I love it here..."   
  
    Galadriel grinned triumphantly.   
  
    "Lothlórien and all of its people love you as well," she spoke softly, casting a sideways glance at her husband who half-nodded in affirmation.   
  
    Taryn watched Celeborn out of the corner of her eye and couldn't help but notice that he seemed...distant and on-edge around her.   
  
    "My Lord," She began, testing her voice. "I have not come here to harm Lórien or any of its people. I love this forest. If I could, I would stay here forever...but I can't. To tell you the truth I have no clue how I came to be here, but I am here now...with no means that I know of to return home."   
  
    Celeborn nodded. "I thank you for trying to assure me, Taryn. The only assurance I need; however, is that of my wife, Galadriel, and she assures me that you are trustworthy. Henceforth, I shall trust you as she does." He looked down at Taryn and smiled. "Here we are."   
  
    Celeborn pulled to a stop and gathered Taryn in his arms. "Do not be frightened, Taryn. We must leave you now, but your Marchwarden will be down to greet you shortly." He left Taryn with a smile and a feather kiss on her forehead, and Galadriel did the same before glancing up into the thick leaves of the Mallorn trees.   
  
    Galadriel shot Taryn a wink, mischief dancing in her eyes as she did so before walking off. Suddenly, the leaves overhead rustled slightly and Taryn turned around to find herself face-to-face with another Elf with a slight twinkle in his dark blue eyes. He had long blonde hair, as did all of the Elves of Lothlórien, pulled back in the traditional style of the Elves with a braid on either side of his head, and a long fishbone braid down the back. He let a group of blonde locks fall just in front of each of his Elven ears, and the points of them just managed to stick out from behind the locks, giving his however disgruntled appearance a somehow regal look. He was glowing.   
  
    "_Mae Govannen na Lórien_, my Lady." He spoke, and then his gaze turned questioning. "Who are you, if I may inquire?" He spoke with sincerity and Taryn, although she didn't understand what he had just spoken saw the smile he was so desperately trying to hide, and couldn't help but smile herself.   
  
    "You may, My Lord. I am Taryn Moynihan. It is an honor to meet such a distinguished Elf as yourself, Marchwarden; and you are?"   
  
    "_Haldir. Haldir O Lórien_." He spoke with a flourish, and Taryn felt her knees go weak. This...this was Haldir? Was it possible? Her favorite Elf from the novels stood before her, and she had no clue what to say to him.   
  
    _'By Elbereth,'_ she thought. _'Someone help me...'_


	4. On the Banks of Nimrodel

**Author's Notes:** This should be a bit more with the books, but I _am_ going to wind the books and the movies together...Here it is. Enjoy!  
  
**PS**: Here you go, Savina! This one's for you! Hope you enjoy it! *wink*   
  
**Summary:** Taryn Moynihan, steeped in Irish background, finds a necklace with designs that she thinks to be Celtic. Only they aren't. There is a bit of script on the necklace that Taryn doesn't even notice until it is too late...and she arrives in Middle Earth in the midst of the War of the Ring.  
  


* * *

**TRANSLATIONS / DEFINITIONS:**  
  
_melamin_ = my love   
_Mellyrn_ = trees in Lothlórien   
  


* * *

  
  


**Chapter Three**  
_On the Banks of Nimrodel_

  
  
    Taryn fumbled for her words and spoke as soon as she was positive that she could compose a coherent sentence.   
  
    "Haldir of Lothlórien...wow. It really is more of an honor than I had imagined," She spoke slowly. "I have heard much about you."   
  
    "Have you now?" His eyes twinkled behind a shield that she knew would be hard to break.   
  
    Taryn nodded, giving him a genuine smile. "I have, and believe it or not, it would be good for you to let down your defenses once in awhile, my dear Marchwarden."   
  
    Haldir's face registered a look of shock.   
  
    "I know that it was you who found me, Haldir," his blue eyes questioned Taryn. "...and I thank you. You saved me from Orcs, I'm sure..."   
  
    "Twenty surrounded you and they would have had Elf for supper, had my brothers and I not slain them." He added in and Taryn nodded.   
  
    "I am grateful, Haldir. I don't mean for you to think otherwise, and I would love to speak to your brothers..." Haldir turned to call them, and Taryn grabbed his arm. "But...I do know that they don't speak as much of the...Westron tongue as you do, and I am afraid that my ability to speak Elvish has passed away with the time I have spent away from the Elves."   
  
    Haldir looked at Taryn oddly, and she felt herself shrivel in the Elven boots given to her by the Lord and Lady of the Galadhrim. She felt horrible, lying to Haldir this way...her favorite Elf, and she was lying to him. Taryn sighed. How else could she explain it to him? With the truth? Surely not. She moved to speak, but Haldir held up a hand.   
  
    "I know you're not being quite honest with me, Taryn. I can see it in your eyes." He let a slight grin curl his lips for a moment. "To tell you the truth, I do not blame you for keeping secrets. After all, I would likely do the same in a new place."   
  
    Taryn hung her head. "I am sorry, Haldir..."   
  
    "Don't be sorry; I know that I would not," He spoke, before his gaze turned to the Necklace. "Such a strange token...Did the Lady give this to you?" His eyes flickered back up to Taryn's and she shook her head.   
  
    "No. I had it on me when I came here. It was a gift from a friend...far away from here." Taryn's sight misted up a bit, and she dabbed at her eyes with the sleeve of the silken dress. Haldir straightened up immediately.   
  
    "Why do you cry, _melamin_?" Haldir took Taryn's hand in his and pulled her to him, locking his arms about her awkwardly. Taryn shrugged within his embrace and clung tightly to his grey tunic.   
  
    "I miss my home, I suppose. I miss my friends..," She looked up at Haldir, a pleading look in her eyes. "I feel so alone here...utterly alone, Haldir. Tell me I'm welcome here, please?"   
  
    Haldir sighed. "You are welcome here, _melamin_, you are."   
  


...  
_Two Months Later_

  
  
    Taryn woke in the first light of morning as she had done for the last two weeks and donned her grey leggings, tunic, and boots before sprinting off to the banks of the Nimrodel. She waved at several of the guards as she ran, knowing who sat at what post in the early morning hours as she had run this same route for the past month.   
  
    Shortly after meeting Haldir those two months ago, he and his brothers had been relieved of guard duty, and the Lórien Captain had taken Taryn for a walk to help her get acquainted with the forest. He had gotten her to laugh and sing along with him, and even managed to teach her a bit of Elvish. She could now hold light conversations with Rumil and Orophin, Haldir's brothers, and understand some of the text in the Lady's library, although she still often resigned herself to asking for aid in deciphering some of the words.   
  
    Taryn took a seat at the bank of the stream and trailed her fingertips lazily across the the surface of the jovially bubbling water. She absolutely loved it here: so peaceful, so serene...but on this particular morning Taryn felt a feeling that she had never felt anywhere before within the boundaries of Lothlórien. An anxiousness settled over her as she gazed out into the trees at the other side of the Nimrodel.   
  
    "I thought I would find you here, _melamin_," A voice came from behind Taryn and she grinned. She would know that voice anywhere.   
  
    "And I knew you _would_ find me here, Marchwarden," She replied as she turned to see Haldir, dressed in his typical grey tunic, leggings, and boots, leaning against the trunk of one of the _Mellyrn_ trees with his arms folded across his chest and his left leg bent so that his foot was propped against the tree. Haldir grinned and shoved himself away from the tree gracefully before walking with light Elven footsteps over to Taryn. "How long were you there?"   
  
    Haldir shrugged as he took a seat next to her. "Not long...merely long enough to be sure it was you that graced Nimrodel's shores."   
  
    Taryn laughed. "You should have known it was me immediately, Haldir."   
  
    He smiled and gazed out into the woods across the river thoughtfully just as Taryn had done moments before, and his smile faded. "Something is coming, Taryn, and I am afraid that it is not good."   
  
    Taryn nodded. "I agree. An uneasiness has washed over me several times today already...and it's only gotten worse the longer I stay here," Taryn turned her eyes to Haldir searching for answers to the riddle she feared she already knew the answer to. "What is going on, Haldir? And _please_ be truthful."   
  
    Haldir was silent for a moment, and then he turned to meet Taryn's questioning gaze. "On my watch this morning, I heard faintly the sound of Orc drums and saw the outer walls of Moria shake. I...am afraid something draws near. Something...Evil." The word left a sour taste in Haldir's mouth, as if Sauron himself had cast a fiery ale down the Elf's throat. "The peace of Lothlórien is going to be disturbed, I fear, and soon."   
  
    Taryn was silent as she absorbed Haldir's tale into her mind and analyzed all that she could recall from the Lord of the Rings novels. Orc drums...Moria...EVIL. It could all only mean one thing:   
  
    The Fellowship was coming. 


	5. Deep Secrets

**Author's Notes:** This should be a bit more with the books, but I _am_ going to wind the books and the movies together...Here it is. Enjoy!   
  
**Summary:** Taryn Moynihan, steeped in Irish background, finds a necklace with designs that she thinks to be Celtic. Only they aren't. There is a bit of script on the necklace that Taryn doesn't even notice until it is too late...and she arrives in Middle Earth in the midst of the War of the Ring. 

* * *

**TRANSLATIONS / DEFINITIONS:**  
  
_Mellyrn_ =if we don't know it by now...we may have some trouble...*tsk,tsk*  
_talan_ = um, see above...but for those of you that don't remember: a platform built into the *_Mellyrn_* trees of Lothlórien.   
_mela_ = love   
_mellonim_ = female version of friend (male is mellon)   
_Amin mela lle_ = I love you   
_goramin_ = my heart   
_namarie_ = farewell   
_eldar_ = a true love; a soulmate   


* * *

  
  


**Chapter Four**  
_Deep Secrets_

  
  
    "They're coming then," Taryn muttered as she grazed her fingers across the amulet that hung about her neck, all but forgotten.   
  
    Haldir shot an odd look at Taryn and then averted his eyes to the now-swirling red stone. "It moves..."   
  
    Taryn's eyes shot down to the Necklace immediately and widened when she saw the stone swirling angrily about her neck. Suddenly frightened, Taryn turned her eyes back to Haldir. "We have to see Galadriel..._now_."   
  
    Haldir nodded and, without question, helped Taryn to her feet before the two of them sprinted the wide expanse of forest to the entrance of Caras Galadhon in a matter of hours, as was the speed of Elves...now that Taryn was one among their ranks. The two Elves grappled with the ladders once they reached the base of the _Mellyrn_ tree that Galadriel and Celeborn's hall stood upon and climbed with a strength and a vigor that was fueled for both by fear and adrenaline. By the time that they reached the _talan_, Galadriel and Celeborn stood in their hall awaiting the Bearer and the Marchwarden.   
  
    "My Lady, My Lord," Taryn grunted, cursing her human lungs. Technically she was an Elf, but that didn't mean that she didn't ever get winded. She was, after all, still Human. "What is going on? Why is this Necklace acting so wierd?"   
  
    Galadriel's eyes focused on the stone for a while before she spoke slowly. "The time draws near, Taryn. It is nearly time for you to join the Quest."   
  
    Taryn took a fearful step back. "No...No, I...I can't..."   
  
    Galadriel nodded. "You can, and you will. You have both tarried and trained with the Elves of the Galadhrim for the past two months and caught on quicker than any in history. Now you and your skills are needed more than ever, Bearer."   
  
    Haldir looked at Taryn incredulously. "_Bearer_? Taryn, what have you kept from me?" He whispered sadly.   
  
    Taryn looked over at Haldir, sadness in her eyes.   
  
    "Yes, Haldir. Taryn bears a secret that is best to be kept from all, but you should know that secret, Haldir...for it was meant to be yours. Taryn is the Bearer of a Necklace of Power, one of two forged by Celebrimbor after he had forged the Three. It has been lost for millennia, but has now returned to us unspoiled, for this girl is true of heart and mind. She has secrets that she still has not told, and if she so desires to tell them she will.   
  
    "Haldir, you will go back on patrol at midday with Rumil and Orophin," Galadriel's eyes shifted from the Necklace to the overwhelmed Elven Marchwarden. "The Fellowship of the Ring draws nigh from Moria."   
  
    Haldir's eyes widened and his face was a mass of emotions, each of them layered so that Taryn could not read any of them, but he nodded just the same. "Yes, Lady. I shall inform Rumil and Orophin immediately." Haldir turned to Taryn. "I will meet you at the Fountain." He pressed a lingering kiss to Taryn's cheek before bowing to Celeborn and Galadriel and racing off to find his brothers.   
  
    Galadriel gave Taryn a sad smile. "It is too bad, _mela_...you have just found each other, and now..."   
  
    Taryn sighed. "I must go..."   
  
    Galadriel nodded.   
  
    "Lady, if I might ask...how does one know love?" Taryn inquired sheepishly, a light blush settling over the apples of her cheeks.   
  
    The Lady of the Wood grinned. "You just do, _mellonim_. You will not know it until it is upon you."   
  
    Taryn nodded and then spoke again. "Tell me again...about _eldars_, My Lady?"   
  
    "Every Elf, Man, Dwarf, or anoyne of any other race has an _eldar_, a soulmate, that they are destined to find. When you find your _eldar_, Taryn, you will just know...and when you are with them, everything just feels..." Galadriel sighed happily. "...right." The Lady of the Wood studied the silent girl carefully.   
  
    "I...know what that is like now. With Haldir I feel...at peace, perfect, completed...like nothing could go wrong," Taryn whispered sadly.   
  
    "If he is your _eldar_, then why are you saddened?" Galadriel's eyes narrowed as she gazed at the Human girl with Elven ears.   
  
    "I am not an Elf, Galadriel! I won't live forever! Don't you see? It's just like Arwen and Aragorn! It's only a dream! And to top it all off, I can't stay here...no matter how much I desire to, I can't!" The girl's rate of speech slowed and fell to a whisper, tears ready to fall down her face. "It wouldn't be right..."   
  
    "Taryn, Galadriel began. "You were cast an Elf in Middle-earth for a reason, not by chance."   
  
    "Pray-tell, what is that reason?" Taryn inquired, wiping the tears from her eyes.   
  
    "It is as I said: you are pure of heart and an unspoiled soul. You are kindred and Elf-like, that is why you are now of Elf-kind," Galadriel smiled down at Taryn. "Go now, your _eldar_ awaits you."   
  
    Taryn grinned and hugged Galadriel promptly before racing across the talan, down the ladder, and to the fountain in the center of Caras Galadhon where Haldir awaited her. Haldir's blue eyes searched Taryn's hazel ones as she ran over to him.   
  
    "Midday is almost upon us, and Rumil and Orophin have been awakened. Promise me later that you will speak of what you have kept from me…_promise_ me, Taryn."   
  
    Taryn nodded. "I swear it, Haldir. I _will_ tell you." Haldir nodded and turned to walk away when Taryn grabbed his arm. He cocked his head slightly to the left and let his hair fall from his shoulders to his back as his eyes searched Taryn's for some indication of the reason that she had stopped him.   
  
    Taryn grinned happily, a smile that radiated well beyond her eyes. "I will keep nothing from my _eldar_."   
  
    Haldir's eyes glazed over with shock. "What did you just say?"   
  
    Taryn simply grinned.   
  
    "Speak! For the love of Elbereth, _Speak_!" He pleaded, his eyes narrowing.   
  
    _"Amin mela lle, Haldir o Lorien_…my _eldar_."   
  
    Haldir's eyes flashed with happiness for a moment before capturing Taryn's lips in a quick kiss. _"Amin mela lle, goramin. Namarie."_ With a quick squeeze of Taryn's hands, he was gone. Despite the troubles that were about to crest the horizon in Taryn's life, something told her that everything would end up all right…beginning with Haldir and herself…   
  
    And perhaps a home in Lothlorien… 


	6. Prologue to Evil

**A/N:**This one leaves out Taryn for a while...just for now. This kinda lets you know where the other characters stand in their feelings about her. In this one: Haldir, Galadriel and Celeborn, and the introduction to the Fellowship.   
  
**TRANSLATIONS / DEFINITIONS:**  
  
_Mellyrn_ = if we don't know it by now...we may have some trouble...*tsk,tsk*   
_talan / flet_ = um, see above...but for those of you that don't remember: a platform built into the *_Mellyrn_* trees of Lothlorien.   
_mela_ = love   
_Mani?_ = What?   
_a'maelamin_ = my beloved   
_Daro!_ = Stop!   
_Mae govannen, Legolas Thranduilion!_ = Welcome, Legolas son of Thranduil!   
_Vedui, Haldir o Lorien. Quel undome._ = Greetings, Haldir of Lorien. Good evening.   
  
If there's anything I've forgotten to translate, let me know, & I'll hop to it! ;)   


* * *

  
  


**Chapter Five**  
_Prologue to Evil_

  
    Haldir raced through the forest to the northern march of Lothlorien, a smile sticking stubbornly to his face. No matter what he did, try as he might he could not deter that stupid, lovesick grin. Haldir knew it would give him away...if not to Orophin, then definitely to Rumil. Despite his efforts, his grin did not slacken, nor did his thoughts of the Elven maiden he had wrongly assumed of being 'ordinary' he and his brothers had found those two months ago, passed out and near death. Never had he dreamt that she would bear such a burden, nor did he think that she would ever capture his heart.   
  
    She wasn't beautiful - that should have been his first indication that she wasn't a 'normal' Elf, but instead he had cast away every wavering thought about her when he had glimpsed the pointed ears protruding from behind her golden hair. Her clothes had been another odd matter about her...one that Rumil had addressed promptly.   


...

  
    "Look at what strange garments adorn her. Surely she is no Elf..."   
  
    "Of course she is, Rumil! Look at her ears!" Orophin had replied. "She is an Elf as sure as you and I."   
  
    Haldir had dismounted from his horse by then, relaxed his grip on his bow that had slain at _least_ ten of the Orcs that had nearly taken this Elf captive, and had walked up to where a group of Sentries and the other two Marchwardens stood gazing at the girl curiously. One look at her, and Haldir had felt the strangest feeling wash over him...as if he had known her his entire life, although she was a stranger to him. On a whim, he spoke.   
  
    "Give her full quarter, and let no effort to make her comfortable be spared. She is an Elf, Rumil, and she will be treated accordingly." Haldir watched her for another moment. "She is ailed; I will see her to the Healer. You two," Haldir motioned to two of the Sentries nearest him. "Help me."   
  
    The two sentries and Haldir were joined by two more graceful hands belonging to Orophin, and in no time they had the Elf maiden astride Haldir's steed. With one of the Sentries falling back, Orophin and the remaining Sentry had held the girl in place across the horse's back while Haldir mounted up behind her, and pulled the maiden closer to his torso. When he was settled, Haldir had nodded his thanks to the two Sentries and to Orophin. He turned a look to Rumil, who glared coolly at his younger brother.   
  
    "Do not glare, Rumil. It suits you not," With that, Haldir had ridden off toward Caras Galadhon and the Healer's flet. It had taken the girl a week to regain consciousness, and all throughout her sleep, Haldir had wondered about her. Who was she? Why were her clothes so...strange?   


...

  
    Haldir brushed away his thoughts as he drew up to the _Mellyrn_ tree his was to hold his vigil in for the remainder of the day. A ladder was tossed down from the _talan_ and Haldir scaled it without a hitch.   
  
    "Greetings, brother," A sweet Elvish tongue greeted Haldir as he pulled the ladder back up into the trees.   
  
    "Greetings, Orophin. How was your rest?" Haldir picked up his bow and studied it carefully. Next under his scrutiny were his arrows. He had forty in his quiver, and hanging on a branch above his head another twenty rested in a smaller quiver.   
  
    "It went well...what little of it I was allowed," Orophin cast a glance at his brother, a knowing look on his face. "I think I would do well to assume that you received no rest?"   
  
    Haldir laughed. "You would be correct. I did not take rest."   
  
    "How is Taryn?" Orophin inquired quietly, casting a fleeting eye over to Rumil who stood on the other side of the _talan_.   
  
    "Much better, and I am glad of it. She had me concerned for a while, what with her mood swings," Haldir pulled out a string from his quiver, untied the bowstring on his bow, and went about re-stringing the weapon with a practiced hand.   
  
    "Good," Orophin nodded before turning his Elven eyes out to the wide plain between Lothlorien and the walls of Moria. "My regards to her, next time you see her."   
  
    Haldir nodded. "I will tell her," he replied before casting his Elven eyes out over the plains to watch for the coming of the Fellowship.   
  


...

  
  
    Celeborn watched Galadriel carefully as she poured water into the basin of her mirror. "Galadriel, are you certain about her? As a bearer? I _will_ trust your judgement, but I must know..."   
  
    "Celeborn, trust me," Galadriel looked up from the silver water of her mirror, tears clouding up the deep blue depths of her eyes. "I trust her, and always will I trust her. You saw naught of what I did when she first awoke...her vulnerability was strangling. It hung in the air as a mist of the floor of the forest, but she has adapted well to her task. I believe in her."   
  
    "I would not put it past her to fail in her task; if she is as you say she is..."   
  
    "You do not trust her because she is not truly an Elf," There was no question in Galadriel's voice, and her eyes bored holes into Celeborn accusingly.   
  
    "I have said no such thing. I simply...I meant no harm by it, _mela_. While we walked in the forest with her those many days ago, something about her presence struck me as odd. It was as if she belonged here, and then again as if she did not." Celeborn's eyes fell to the plush grass beneath his feet.   
  
    Galadriel was silent as she gazed into the rippling pool of silver in the basin before her. Suddenly she looked up at Celeborn, a look of awe in her blue eyes. "Perhaps she does belong."   
  
    Celeborn's eyebrows shot up. _"Mani?"_   
  
    "She is destined to be a Bearer. The Necklace was not lost, not by chance, but for reason. She is a destined Wielder of the Necklace. In a short time she will have a grasp on the power the Necklace wields, but not without our aid." Her deep voice trickled over Celeborn's senses, enthralling him as it had done at their every encounter.   
  
    "What of the second Necklace?" Celeborn inquired quietly. "Is it spoiled?"   
  
    "Nay," replied Galadriel. "She will find it...and restore it to _its_ rightful Bearer."   
  
    "Do you imply, _a'maelamin_, that Taryn was meant to have _this_ Necklace, and...Haldir the other?" Celeborn raised himself to his full height and moved gracefully over to his wife. She simply nodded, and Celeborn's face lighted up. "So they do belong..."   
  
    Galadriel nodded again. "I will fetch her," She spoke swiftly. "She has much to learn."   
  
    Celeborn was left with amazement in his eyes as he lifted the silver basin from the stone pillar in the center of the clearing and poured it slowly back into Galadriel's fountain. She would be needing the Mirror again soon, he knew. As soon as his task was completed, he set off after his wife, knowing full well that Taryn would be in the Library and that Galadriel would instantly be at her side.   
  


...

  
    It was drawing nigh to nightfall when the Fellowship had first come into view for the Marchwardens, and Haldir had motioned for every Sentry and his two brothers to silence themselves. They would allow the Fellowship safe entry into the Golden Wood, after that he was not sure. Haldir watched in silence for a while, listening intently as one of his Northern kindred sang of the Elf maiden Nimrodel while the Company passed her shores. A light conversation ensued between the members of the Company before the Elf attempted to scale one of the _Mellyrn_ trees: the one Haldir himself was perched in.   
  
    _"Daro!"_ He ordered, and the Elf dropped from the limb he had a hold on, ordering the others in the Fellowship to remain silent. Haldir spoke to him in his own tongue and then listened, bemused, as the small creatures whispered amongst themselves in the Common tongue about who - or what - he was and the Elf translated his words for the Fellowship.   
  
    "Yes, they are Elves, and they say that you breathe so loud that they could shoot you in the dark." Haldir could see nothing, but he heard a frightened gasp and the tiniest slap of skin against skin and spoke again to his Elf cousin. The other Elf listened for a moment and then turned back to the Fellowship in the Common Tongue. "But they say also that you need have no fear. They have been aware of us for a long while. They heard my voice across the Nimrodel and knew that I was one of their Northern kindred..."   
  
    Haldir heard no more of the Elf's voice. Instead, he cast his eyes out over the plains to where a dark mass was gathering at the rear wall of Moria. Orcs, for sure. He squinted and received a fairly good estimate of the time they had before the ghastly creatures were to arrive. They had at least mid-way through the night since Orcs loathed travelling by day. The devils had speed, Haldir knew, and they would be at the borders of Lorien shortly after they had set out. The Fellowship had been lucky getting out of the Mines of Moria by day; that had given them a good head start on the Orcs that were sure to follow.   
  
    Haldir turned his attention back to the Elf at the foot of the tree and addressed him once more, telling him to come up into the tree and to bring the Ring Bearer with him. The rope ladder was sent down once more, as the Elf translated again.   
  
    "Now they bid me climb up with Frodo; for they seem to have had some tidings of him and of our journey. The others they ask to wait a little, and to keep watch at the foot of the tree, until they have decided what is to be done." Haldir shook his head and waited for the Elf and the Ring Bearer to ascend the rope ladder. The Elf came first, and Haldir recognized him slightly.   
  
    _"Mae govannen, Legolas Thranduilion,"_ Haldir greeted politely, extending his hand to Legolas, who accepted graciously.   
  
    _"Vedui, Haldir o Lorien. Quel undome,"_ Legolas replied, stepping aside as Haldir glanced over the other Elf's shoulder to look over the two little people now standing on the _talan_.   
  
    _"Mae govannen,"_ Haldir experimented with the two smaller creatures in his native tongue, and smiled in surprise when Frodo answered in Elvish as well.   
  
    "Welcome!" Haldir spoke again in the Common language. "We seldom use any tongue but our own; for we dwell now in the heart of the forest, and do not willingly have dealings with any other folk. Even our own kindred in the North are sundered from us." Even as he spoke of this, he couldn't help but have his mind drift back to Taryn. Where had _she_ come from? Haldir shook his thoughts away and continued. "But there are some of us who still go abroad for the gathering of news and the watching of our enemies, and they speak the languages of other lands. I am one. Haldir is my name. My brothers, Rumil and Orophin, speak little of your tongue."   
  
    Haldir let himself drone on and on, not caring if the three of them liked hearing him or not. Now that the Fellowship had come, he would just assume return to his flet and fall asleep in the manner of Elves: eyes open and aware, yet he could not do so. The Orcs would be advancing from Moria soon, as the cloak of night began to settle over the forest. Haldir turned his attention back to the two little creatures, Frodo and Sam, as they had been introduced. "We had not heard of -- hobbits, or halflings, for many a long year and did not know that any yet dwelt in Middle-earth. You do not look evil! And since you come with an Elf of our kindred, we are willing to befriend you as Elrond asked; though it is not our custom to lead strangers through our land. But you must stay here tonight. How many are you?"   
  
    "Eight," Legolas replied. "Myself, four hobbits; and two men, one of whom, Aragorn, is an Elf-friend of the folk of Westernesse."   
  
    "The name of Aragorn, son of Arathorn is known in Lorien, and he has the favor of the Lady. All then is well. But you have yet only spoken of seven."   
  
    "The eighth is a dwarf," Legolas spoke quietly.   
  
    "A dwarf! That is not well. We have not had dealings with the Dwarves since the Dark Days! They are not permitted in our land. We cannot allow him to pass."   
  
    Frodo jumped in defense of his companion. "But he is from the Lonely Mountain! One of Dain's trusty people, and friendly to Elrond. Elrond himself chose him to be one of our companions, and he has been brave and faithful!"   
  
    Haldir turned and gazed at his brothers and held a short conversation with them before turning to Legolas and inquiring of him in their own tongue. "Very good," Haldir cast a weary eye over the talan and down into the forest where the dwarf sat conversing with the rest of the Company. "We will allow him to pass, although we do not like it. If Aragorn and Legolas will guard him, and answer for him, he shall pass; but he must go blindfold through Lothlorien." Haldir cast his eyes about the darkening plain once more and noticed the Orcs beginning to make for the eaves of the forest. Haldir decided to keep this last bit of news from them to cause them no further worry.   
  
    "But we must tarry no longer, and your Company must not remain on the ground. We have been keeping watch on the rivers ever since we saw a great troop of Orcs going north towards Moria, along the skirts of the mountains, many days ago. Wolves howl along the wood's borders. If you have indeed come from Moria, then trouble surely nips at your heels. Early tomorrow you must go on.   
  
    "The four hobbits can stay on this _talan_ with us -- we do not fear them! There is another _talan_ in the next tree, and it is there that the others must seek refuge. Legolas, you must answer to us for them. Call us if anything is amiss! And watch that dwarf!" Haldir showed Legolas the way to the ladder and bid him good night. Shortly after the two remaining hobbits, Merry and Pippin, came up to join the Marchwardens. Haldir gave the four hobbits their second, and much more filling, supper. After the supper, the hobbits wrapped themselves in the blankets they had brought with them and the blankets given to the by the Elves and tried to sleep, although their home for the night was not to their liking. Haldir made sure that they were attended, and then he took up residence on the edge of the _talan_, bow and quiver at his quick disposal should the Orcs pass too close for comfort, and hobbit chatter going on at his back well into the night. 


	7. Disturbance in the Night

**Author's Notes:** This should be a bit more with the books, but I am going to wind the books and the movies together...Here it is. Enjoy!   
  
**Summary:** Taryn Moynihan, steeped in Irish background, finds a necklace with designs that she thinks to be Celtic. Only they aren't. There is a bit of script on the necklace that Taryn doesn't even notice until it is too late...and she arrives in Middle Earth in the midst of the War of the Ring. 

* * *

**Artistic license comes into play on this one. ;)   
  
    Elvish in the Chapter:
**   
  
_Mellyrn_ = if we don't know it by now...we may have some trouble...*tsk,tsk*   
_talan_ = um, see above...but for those of you that don't remember: a platform built into the *Mellyrn* trees of Lothlorien.   
_hithlain_ = strong elven rope.   
_Anduril_ = "Flame of the West;" Aragorn's sword   
Imladris = another name for Rivendell   
Triquetra = a somewhat-Celtic triad symbol. If you've ever seen Charmed, it's what is on the cover of the Charmed Ones' Book of Shadows.   
  


* * *

  
  


**Six**   
_Disturbance in the Night_

  
  
    Haldir sat atop the _talan_ the hobbits slept on and kept a steady eye on the eaves of the forest. A terrible stench met his Elven nose, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Legolas and Aragorn rouse themselves from their slumbers. Haldir motioned to them to descend into the forest, and Legolas nodded in reply. Legolas and Aragorn threw down the _hithlain_ ladder and descended one after the other, both of them armed with bows and arrows. Strapped to Legolas' back were his quiver of Mirkwood arrows and his twin Elven blades, and fastened at Aragorn's side was _Anduril_ - formerly known as Narsil, the Sword that was Broken, forged anew and branded with a design of seven stars set between the crescent Moon and the rayed Sun. Around them many runes had been carved to protect Aragorn. All of this had been done at Imladris before the Fellowship had departed on this perilous Quest.   
  
    Haldir descended the ladder on his _talan_ as well after appointing a Sentry to keep watch over the hobbits while they slept. Swiftly and silently, the three Marchwardens and Legolas and Aragorn stole into the trees and hid themselves from the advancing Orcs. Shortly, a splashing could be heard as the creatures trudged through the Nimrodel, sullying its sparkling waters. Haldir and the rest of the Elves cringed at the mere thought of Orc feet in the brilliant stream of the Nimrodel.   
  
    Orophin was sent forward into the woods to the Elves' homes to warn them of the parading Orcs as the disgusting creatures continued southward. Haldir's eye; however, was caught by a tiny creature, about the size of a hobbit, while Aragorn, Legolas, and Rumil remained concealed amongst the trees. Haldir ducked back behind a _Mellyrn_ tree, unnoticed by the creature. The Marchwarden notched an arrow and pulled his bowstring taut as he aimed at the creature. He inched closer, keeping his arrow pulled tight, and his grey Elven cloak wrapped tightly about him to conceal his image so that he might inspect the ugly thing up close.   
  
    It surely was no Orc, but he had been right in one assumption: it _was_ ugly. It _definitely_ was not a hobbit, nor was it an Elf. It's skin hung from its bones and its back was hunched as well. Its eyes were enormous bulbs that protruded slightly from its skull and its fingers were wretched and gnarled. The limbs of the creature appeared as if they would snap from the slightest pressure, they were so thin. Haldir had no clue what to make of this..._thing_. The Marchwarden lowered his bow slowly and, keeping the arrow in place with one hand, he snuck up behind the _Mellyrn_ tree the creature was attempting to climb, and touched it lightly with his free hand. The creature drew back suddenly, eyes wide as if it were being pursued. It cocked its head to one side, leapt from the trunk of the tree, and then fled into the forest. Haldir started after it, but stopped after two steps. He had to check on the Ring Bearer.   
  
    Haldir went as fast as his Elven limbs would carry him up the branches of the _Mellyrn_ tree and finally made it to the _talan_ to find Frodo wide awake. "Are you all right, Frodo?" At Frodo's slight nod, he continued. "There was something in this tree that I have never seen before. It was not an Orc. It fled as soon as I touched the tree-stem. It seemed to be wary, and to have some skill in trees, or I might have thought it was one of you hobbits.   
  
    "I did not dare shoot, for I did not dare arouse any cries: we cannot risk battle. A strong company of Orcs has passed. They crossed the Nimrodel -- curse their foul feet in its clean water! -- and went on down the old road beside the river. They seemed to pick up some scent, and stopped for a while to search about in the spot where you halted. The five of us, including Legolas and Aragorn, could not take on a hundred, so we spoke with feigned voices and led them on into the wood.   
  
    "Orophin has gone back to our homes in haste to warn our people. None of the Orcs will ever return out of Lorien, and there will be many Elves hidden on the northern border before another night falls, but you must take the road south as soon as it is fully light." As sure as Haldir spoke, a grey dawn crested the horizon. "Pack your things and prepare for breakfast. We will continue to Caras Galadhon shortly."   
  


*

  
    "Taryn," Galadriel's voice fell upon Taryn's ears, and the girl looked up from her Elvish texts immediately, a smile upon her face.   
  
    "Galadriel, my Lady," She replied as Celeborn came up behind Galadriel at a brisk pace. "Is something...wrong?" Taryn's brow creased and Galadriel had to stifle a laugh.   
  
    "Not yet, but you must come with me. I have something to show you," Galadriel's smile faded from her face, and Taryn knew that the Fellowship had arrived. "Despite your thoughts, it is not the Fellowship. They have not yet arrived in Caras Galadhon."   
  
    "Then...what is it?" Taryn's eyes flickered back and forth between Galadriel and Celeborn before raising her voice an octave. _"What?!" _   
  
    Galadriel pondered the girl for a moment, wondering if Nenya, the Ring of Adamant and one of Sauron's lost Three, had lied to her. Deciding against it, Galadriel spoke: "Come. There is a text that you must see. It pertains to your Necklace," Galadriel replied simply as she and Celeborn led Taryn over to a roped off section of the Library guarded by two of the Galadhrim's Sentries. Celeborn waved them aside and they gracefully stepped out of the way of the advancing Lord, Lady, and Bearer, the Sentry on the left pulling the restraining rope off of its hook and pulled it with him as he moved aside. Galadriel cast a smile and a glance back at Taryn as she moved into the tiny study filled with ancient books that Taryn observed with awe.   
  
    The Lady of the Wood knew exactly where she was going, and exactly what to pick up. Her first stop was at a wall with yellowed scrolls hung on wooden claw-shaped hooks. She pulled down the third one from the top and unrolled it gently, taking great care not to tear the brittle paper. "The text on this scroll is written in your tongue, Taryn, and is the key to understanding the rest of your story, the key to grasping the reality of the power which you bear unwittingly so long as that token is in your posession."   
  
    "Power?" Taryn's eyes crossed at the admission from Galadriel. She glanced over at Celeborn who was looking over the spines of the Old Texts, hands clasped regally behind his back. He turned to meet her gaze at her question and nodded in affirmation before turning his concentration back to the shelves. "What power?" Taryn whispered as she took a seat in a chair fashioned from a light-hued, yet strong wood.   
  
    Galadriel set the scroll before Taryn and watched for a moment as the girl regarded the paper carefully. Realizing her task, the Elf woman turned back to the shelves and hefted an old red leather-bound, and rather dusty, volume from a shelf. "That scroll is merely a piece of the puzzle..," Galadriel set the heavy book down beside the scroll that remained in front of Taryn. "...and this is the rest."   
  
    Taryn subconsciously reached for the book as if it was calling to her, and Galadriel laid her hand over the cover in defiance. "Read the scroll first then, and _only _then, will the book make sense." Taryn nodded and then did as was requested of her. She slid the scroll closer to her and squinted her eyes at the faded ink on the page. Eventually she pieced it all together, and words took form before her eyes, much clearer if she held the amulet in her fist:   
  
    _'In time of peril, One shall arise,   
    One whose heart seeks the skies.   
    Lorien shall find Her there,   
    A great burden She shall bear.   
    A lost token of good and evil, foul and fair   
    Will adorn Her, and Man-soul and Elven-ear.   
    As darkness falls She will rise,   
    Seeking no other prize   
    Than to free Middle-earth   
    And restore its former mirth.   
    An Elf will she love,   
    Elbereth shall send Her signs from above   
    And all shall be spared   
    From both ruin and despair.'
_   
  
    "Okay...lost now," Taryn turned to Galadriel, the confusion plain on her face. Galadriel simply nodded.   
  
    "Now open the book," she stated, taking the scroll from the table and rolling it back up. Galadriel replaced the scroll in its place as Celeborn seated himself to Taryn's left and pushed the book toward her.   
  
    Taryn placed her hand on the leather cover and pulled lightly to open it. It didn't move. Taryn tried again...and once more to no avail. Taryn pulled the book closer to herself and turned the heavy book over on the table in front of her. She repeated the action over and over, a bit more slowly each time, until a notch in the leather binding of the book caught her eye. Taryn ran her finger over the edge of it, and laughed to herself. "A lock...I should have known." upon closer inspection of the lock, Taryn found it to be in the shape of a triquetra, a three-pointed design that Taryn knew well. It was interwoven to represent three people or beings, and a circle was etched around the points of the triquetra as if to hold everything together. Perhaps it did.   
  
    Taryn glanced down at the Necklace, and noticed a pulsating triquetra shining an aqua color against the blood red color of the stone. She took it off of her neck slowly, and turned the Necklace over. Indeed, raised on the back of the Necklace was a matching triquetra. "The key..." Taryn whispered to herself and glanced up at Galadriel who nodded to her, urging Taryn on. The girl cast her eyes back down to the book and placed the Necklace into the grooves of the lock. A perfect fit. With one quick turn of her wrist, a click echoed loudly in the silent library, and a shiver travelled the length of Taryn's spine.   
  
    The book was open. Taryn took the cover of the book between her fingers and opened it slowly. The book crackled as it opened, the effects of being on a shelf for millenia taking its toll on the brittle, faded pages. The pages were yellowed, dog-eared, and worn, evidence of lifetimes of use, and the book had a musty smell to it. Taryn wrinkled her nose as she bent down to investigate the book.   
  
    The ink was faded, and the script was some form of Elvish that the girl couldn't even _hope_ to decipher. Taryn flung herself back in her chair noisily. "I can't read it. This script it's..._different_ that the one Haldir taught me..."   
  
    Galadriel grinned. "So it is...but if you look hard enough, and you concentrate enough, you _will_ be able to read it. You have my word."   
  
    Taryn glanced up at the Lady of the Wood in disbelief. "No way I can read that...no _WAY_! It's like the text on the One Ring!" Taryn paused and looked up as Celeborn's eyes went wide.   
  
    "You have seen the One Ring?" He inquired in a firm, yet quiet voice. "Where have you seen it?"   
  
    Taryn cast her eyes down to the text on the pages, trying in vain to understand the words that spoke of her powers.   
  
    "Answer me, Taryn. Where have you seen it?" Celeborn's once-soft voice became commanding, and only then did Taryn realize the power the Elf Lord held. He stood up from his spot next to her and drew himself up to his full height. Taryn cringed under his harsh stare, and hung her head.   
  
    "I haven't...not in person. In pictures I have seen it, but nowhere else. I swear." Taryn whimpered and Celeborn's brow unknitted.   
  
    "You swear you have not touched it?"   
  
    "I swear...honest!" Taryn countered, barely daring to meet his eyes that were had been so warm and friendly with welcome when she had met him. Now there was a nearly cold glare in them, mingled with a wizened look. Fear also resided in them: a fear that could only be brought about by the One Ring. Celeborn nodded, and sank back into his chair.   
  
    "I will tell you my story, if you want to hear it...if it will make you trust me," Taryn offered softly, and Celeborn nodded as Galadriel took a seat between him and Taryn. The Lady of the Wood cradled Celeborn's hand in hers, their long, graceful fingers intertwined like the points of the triquetra.   
  
    "I would. Please, Taryn, from the beginning. I want to know all about you..," And with that, Taryn began her tale... 


	8. Story of a Girl

**Author's Notes:** This should be a bit more with the books, but I am going to wind the books and the movies together...Here it is. Enjoy!   
  
**Summary:** Taryn Moynihan, steeped in Irish background, finds a necklace with designs that she thinks to be Celtic. Only they aren't. There is a bit of script on the necklace that Taryn doesn't even notice until it is too late...and she arrives in Middle Earth in the midst of the War of the Ring.   
  


* * *

  
  
**Elvish in the Chapter:**   
  
_Namárië_ = farewell   
**Mithrandir** is an Elvish name for Gandalf. ;)   
_talan_ = um, please tell me I dont have to tell you again....*wink*   
_Haldir! Daro!_ = Haldir! Stop!   
_melamin_ = my love   
_Quel undome, Haldir o Lórien_ = Good evening, Haldir from Lórien   
_Quel undome, mela_ = Good evening, love   
  


* * *

  
  


**Seven**   
_Story Of A Girl_

  
  
    Taryn took a deep breath and looked at Celeborn shakily. "I was born on January fifteenth, in the year 1984 in my world. It would have been the year...3001 here, and from there my life went downhill. My mother died at childbirth. I never met her. My father left me with my mother's parents when I was five years old. He said...he said he couldn't raise me because he didn't know how," Taryn shrugged. "To tell the truth, I hated him...for everything that he did, and for everything that he _didn't_ do. I still hate him, I suppose. I haven't thought about him in a long time.   
  
    "My grandparents became my life. They supported me, and were there for me when I needed someone to talk to. They came over from Ireland, another country in my world, and ever since I found out about their immigration, I have been interested in all things Celtic in origin. I suppose that's why I loved all of Middle-earth so much. Anyhow, I began going to antique shops when I was two months away from being seventeen to search for anything and everything with Celtic origins. On the day before I turned seventeen, an antique shop was put in right down the road from my grandparents' home. I thought it was too good to be true. I had one of my favorite stores within walking distance...how great is that?" Taryn laughed a moment, and then paused for a split-second before continuing. "The first day I set foot into that store, I fell in love with it. Soon, it became my home-away-from-home, and the store's owner, Eileen, became and aunt...a mother to me, even."   
  
    "What was this 'store' called Taryn?" Celeborn interrupted.   
  
    Taryn's eyes grew wide. "Don't freak out, okay?" Celeborn raised an eyebrow in reply and Taryn continued. "The Barrow-Downs..."   
  
    Celeborn opened his mouth to reply, and Taryn wagged a finger at the Elf Lord. "I told you not to freak, and you did anyhow..," Taryn shook her head in a joking manner, and Celeborn and Galadriel couldn't help but laugh.   
  
    "Back to story...The Barrow-Downs became my home-away-from-home, and Eileen let me work there to earn some odds and ends that I wanted when I was out of money. She only needed my help so often, so she gave me whatever it was I wanted and then let me work it off later. Eventually though, she just stopped asking for my help and started holding things for me and asking me if I wanted them when I stopped by. That's how I ended up with the Necklace. Two months ago, I walked into the Barrow-Downs, and Eileen had this set aside in the back, waiting for me. She gave it to me for my eighteenth birthday...then, when I put it on, the Necklace swirled to life, and and when I looked into this mirror, I woke up here a couple of weeks after the fact..."   
  
    Galadriel locked Taryn with a curious glance. "A mirror? What did this mirror look like?"   
  
    "It looked like the Necklace, I suppose. It looked to me like it was a match...with the same engravings as on the Necklace..," Taryn replied before she was 'helped' out of her chair by Galadriel and escorted out of the Library. In a short time Taryn found herself int eh Lady's quarters in front of a giant vanity mirror. One that looked as if it matched the Necklace. One that looked _just like_ the one in the back of the Barrow-Downs.   
  
    "Is _this_ your mirror, Taryn?" Galadriel looked at the girl, and then watched as Taryn's jaw dropped. The girl nodded slightly and then turned to Galadriel.   
  
    "So...then...Tolkien was right...," Taryn mumbled to herself. "Then Middle-earth _is_ our history..."   
  
    As Taryn moved closer to the mirror, Celeborn advanced toward his wife. "What has this mirror to do with anything?"   
  
    Galadriel watched Taryn intently as the stroked the glass of the mirror slowly. "That mirror is how she was transported here and when the time comes, it will be that mirror that will send her back," Just then, a soft-skinned Elven maiden entered the Lady's quarters.   
  
    "My Lady," she bowed gracefully, her silver gown flaring about her pale feet. "The Fellowship has come. They are on their way up this moment."   
  
    "Thank you, Uruviel. I shall be in the Hall momentarily," The two Elves exchanged their words in their own tongue, and Uruviel nodded. "_Namárië_."   
  
    "_Namárië_," Uruviel spoke, and then turned and exited the Lady's chambers.   
  
    Galadriel looked up at Taryn, a grin on her face. "Come, it is time for you to meet the Fellowship," Celeborn extended a hand to each of the women and led them into the hall. A third chair was produced for Taryn and rested beside the Lady Galadriel's. The Lady of the Wood bid Taryn to sit, and sit she did. Shortly after, Taryn watched as a familiar golden head crested the _talan_, and a grin curved her mouth. A light danced in her eyes, and as the Lord and Lady watched, Haldir noticed Taryn's presence immediately. He returned the smile, but tried to keep it subtle so that the Lord and Lady would not notice. Too late. They had noticed, but none spoke of it either then, or in the hereafter.   
  
    "My Lord, My Lady, Bearer," Haldir nodded to each of the Elves in Galadriel's Hall. "I bring before you the Fellowship of the Ring," As Haldir spoke, he let his eyes linger ont he Bearer of the Necklace, and Taryn gave him a longing once-over herself. Frodo clambered up onto the _talan_ clumsily behind the Marchwarden as if the climb from the bottom of the great tree had tired him out. Taryn tore her eyes from the Elf to see what was the cause of the ruckus, and mentally slapped herself. Of _course_ the climb had tired him! He was no Elf, but then again the climb had also tired _her_ out the first time she had climbed to the Hall. How quickly she had forgotten...   
  
    Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn stood and bade Taryn to follow suit, their white garb contrasting greatly with the green and silver walls of the oval shaped chamber and its gold ceiling, and greeted their Marchwarden before Celeborn motioned to Frodo.   
  
    "Sit now beside my chair, Frodo of the Shire!" Frodo did as he was asked as Legolas filed in, followed by Aragorn, Boromir, Gimli, and the remaining three Hobbits. Celeborn greeted the rest of the Company as they entered, and once the eight remaining members of the Fellowship were seated, Celeborn looked them all over oddly as he, Galadriel, and Taryn took their seats once more.   
  
    "Here there are eight," He spoke surprised. "Nine were to set out, so said the messages. But maybe there has been some change of council that we have not heard. Elrond is far away, and darkness gathers between us, and all this year the shadows have grown longer."   
  
    "Nay, there was no change of council," spoke the Lady of the Wood herself, her golden hair flowing in waves over her shoulders and back. Her eyes were the deepest of blues, rivaling even those belonging to Frodo, and she cast those very blue eyes upon the Fellowship immediately. Her voice was a shock to the Fellowship, or so it seemed, for it was quite musical and clear, yet deeper than they had expected it to be, Taryn was certain. "Gandalf the Grey set out with the Company, but did not pass the borders of this land. Now, tell us where he is, for I much desired to speak with him again. But I cannot see him from afar, unless he comes within the fences of Lothlórien. A grey mist is about him, and the ways of his feet and mind are hidden from me."   
  
    The smile faded from the girl's face, and she hung her head at the admission she knew was to come. She sensed a few odd glances thrown her way, garnered by her reaction to the Lady's questioning, but she cared not. She was about to witness first-hand the delivering of ill news to the Lord and Lady of the Galadhrim. Taryn tried her heardest to tune out the council before Aragorn spoke, but it was all too late. She caught the exact words she did _not_ want to hear.   
  
    "Alas!" said Aragorn. "Gandalf the Grey has fallen into Shadow."   
  
    Aragorn's words hit a hollow in Taryn that she had never known to be there. Gandalf was gone, supposed dead by all in the Company, and a glance at Celeborn and Galadriel proved to Taryn that she was the only one to know of Gandalf Greyhame's true plight. The council continued on with Taryn physically in her seat, but her mind far, far away. With Gandalf taking the plunge into the void beneath the Bridge of Khazad-dûm, Aragorn had inherited the burden of leading the Fellowship into Mordor, and Taryn could tell that he was unsure of himself. Of course, he had every right to be. Truthfully, he should have been the King of Gondor at that very moment, and Boromir's father, Denethor, at his side. But he had refused that task from a young age, and it was now upon him to lead the Fellowship as best his Ranger senses could. The Fellowship had become his responsibility, and Frodo his main concern. Taryn noticed the slump in his shoulders and the fatigue on his face. The Man was _visibly_ exhausted. Her eyes shifted to Frodo, and the grief on his face was nearly suffocating. That bit of haunting imagery was echoed by the other three hobbits. Gimli's look was of disappointment. Whether it was from the loss of his kin in Moria, the Darkness that had been awakened in that once, glorious Dwarven kingdom, or the loss of Mithrandir, Taryn was not sure.   
  
    Legolas' face was a mass of emotions, most of which Taryn couldn't decipher. There was one; however, that Taryn knew well. Confusion. Being an Elf, death was foreign to him, and being introduced to such a concept by the departure of a companion was the unthinkable variable, and simply added to his misery. Taryn felt sorry for the Elf. She had no clue how to comfort him, but she knew that he would be all right eventually. All he needed was time, and that was what he would receive in Lórien. Boromir; however, was a completely different tale. Taryn read him like a book, and his eyes betrayed to the Lord, Lady, and Taryn herself, every emotion he felt. In his eyes lay distrust, fear, and anger: distrust for the Lady of the Golden Wood and Lothlórien altogether, fear of the power she held, and anger at Aragorn for leading them to such a realm inhabited by a creature such as Galadriel, although it was most needed by all of the members of the Fellowship. Taryn shook her head, and cleared Boromir from her mind, consenting to give the council her full attention once more. She tuned in just in time to find Galadriel speaking again, her musical voice echoing off of the intricately carved walls of the Hall, and her blue gaze laid upon Frodo once again.   
  
    "Your quest is known to us, but we will not here speak of it more openly. Yet not in vain will it prove, maybe, that you came to this land seeking aid as Gandalf himself plainly purposed. For the Lord of the Galadhrim is accounted the wisest of the Elves of Middle-earth, and a giver of gifts beyond the power of Kings. He has dwelt in the West since the days of dawn, and I have dwelt with him years uncounted; for ere the fall of Nargothrond or Gondolin I passed over the mountains, and together through the ages of the world we have fought the long defeat.   
  
    "I it was who first summoned the White Council. And if my designs had not gone amiss, it would have been governed by Gandalf the Grey, and then mayhap things would have gone otherwise. But even now there is hope left. I will not give you council saying do this or do that. For not in doing or contriving, nor in choosing betweent this course and another, can I avail; but only in knowing what was and is, and in part also what shall be. But this I say to you: your quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and it will fail, to the ruin of all. Yet hope remains, while all the Company is true," with that she cast her blue eyes upon them all in a searching manner, and held them long in her gaze. None of the Fellowship - save Aragorn and Legolas - could endure her stare long, and averted their eyes, while Sam's head fell, and his eyes met with the floor of the _talan_, the hobbit blushing a bright pink. Finally, she quitted her gaze and spoke once more. "Do not let your hearts be troubled," She smiled as she spoke, giving the Fellowship assurance that they would be well-protected. "Tonight you shall sleep in peace."   
  
    As if a great weight were lifted from the Fellowship's shoulders, the travellers relaxed and as if suddenly their grief and exertion had caught up to them, the eight seemed suddenly more weary than before. Taryn looked on as Celeborn dismissed the Fellowship from the council and they filed out. When they were gone, Taryn turned to Galadriel.   
  
    "My Lady?" She inquired sheepishly, her voice cracking on account of not speaking for such a long while.   
  
    "Yes, Taryn?"   
  
    "Might you grant me leave?" Taryn's eyes darted to the retreating figure of the Marchwarden in a panic, and Galadriel's eyes followed Taryn's.   
  
    "Of course, Child. Go," Galadriel ushered Taryn away, and with a smile on her face, Taryn took of at a brisk pace after Haldir. He was nearly to the steps to descend from the Lady's talan when Taryn made it out of Lady Galadriel's Hall and called out to him.   
  
    "_Haldir! Daro!_" The Marchwarden turned and grinned once he realized the source of the voice calling out to him.   
  
    "Taryn," he stood still and waited for Taryn to catch up to him before taking her up in his arms. "I have missed you, _melamin_."   
  
    "And _I_ have missed _you_," Taryn whispered sadly into Haldir's ear before pressing a chaste kiss to the Marchwarden's cheek. "You have to go back out North, don't you?"   
  
    Haldir nodded sadly against Taryn's shoulder. "I do."   
  
    Taryn sighed. She should have known better than to ask questions, the answers of which she already knew. "All right then. Will I see you tomorrow?" Her eyes pleaded with the Elf and he nodded.   
  
    "I will _make_ time to come to you."   
  
    Taryn smiled brightly. "Good. I will see you tomorrow, then. _Quel undome, Haldir o Lórien_."   
  
    "_Quel undome, mela_," he replied with a half-smile before pressing a lingering kiss to Taryn's forehead. Taryn smiled as he did so with closed eyes, keeping in mind the future she hoped the two of them would share together. Haldir squeezed her hand gently, walked away dejectedly, and descended from the _talan_. The warm feeling Taryn had felt at Haldir's close proximity faded immediately and she opened her hazel eyes to see no one other than herself upon the _talan_ before the Lady's Hall. She sighed and descended from the talan after Haldir, and looked around once she had reached the forest floor. Taryn figured that it was her turn to bid the Fellowship welcome to Lórien, and so she set off to find them, her silver dress trailing along behind her... 


	9. A Forgotten Past

**Elvish in the Chapter:**   
  
_Mellyrn_ = if we don't know it by now...we may have some trouble...*tsk,tsk*  
_talan_ = a platform built into the _Mellyrn_ trees of Lothlórien.  
_Namarie, mellonim._ = Farewell, my friend.  
_Namarie, Legolas Thranduilion. Quel anduune._ = Farewell, Legolas. Good night.  
_Haldir o Lórien_ = Haldir from Lórien  
_eldar_ = true love; soulmate  
  


* * *

  
  


**Chapter Eight**  
_A Forgotten Past_

  
  
    The council had ended, and that night, the Fellowship slept on the ground, much to the liking of the hobbits, where the entire Fellowship sat and discussed what it was the Lady of the Wood had said to them as Taryn neared their camp to welcome them herself.  
  
    She overheard that some had thought it was a trick, trying to keep them from finishing their quest, some who believed in the Lady's deeds, and yet others were suspicious of _all_ of the Lady's motives.   
  
    "I do not feel too sure about this Elvish Lady and her purposes." Boromir spoke carelessly, just as Taryn walked up to the Fellowship. Aragorn fixed Boromir with a stony glare.  
  
    "Speak no evil of the Lady Galadriel, Boromir!" He demanded, and then rose as Taryn walked up to them with a look of disappointment on her face.  
  
    "Speak nothing against her, _indeed_," Taryn spoke coolly, not letting one inkling of emotion cloud her face. "She opens her home, her kingdom to you, Boromir of Gondor, and still you speak uncaring things of her? I am shocked that Lord Elrond would have allowed such an arrogant fool as yourself to be in the midst of such a powerful group."   
  
    Silence came from the men of the Fellowship before Legolas let out a hearty laugh. Aragorn's laugh followed next, and then one emanated from the dwarf, Gimli. The hobbits stayed silent; however, and looked from Boromir to Taryn, who hung her head in embarrassment, and back to the Man from Gondor.   
  
    He looked up at Taryn, a blush on his cheeks as he spoke. "I am sorry, Lady...?"   
  
    "Taryn, Taryn Moynihan." She extended her hand to the Man of Gondor and the two shook hands. "And I believe _I_ should be apologizing to _you_, Lord Boromir. I should not have jumped at you."   
  
    "Apology accepted, although it is not necessary. I misjudged your queen, apparently. Why is it that you jump to defend her so quickly, if I may ask?"   
  
    Taryn looked to the ground and rearranged the dark brown dirt with the toe of her Elven boot. "She is not my queen. I am merely a guest here...and stumbled upon this amazing place, and its inhabitants, quite by accident."   
  
    Legolas' eyes narrowed. "Accident?"   
  
    Taryn shook her head. "That is a _very_ long story, and not one to be told right now. Besides, I think Haldir could better relate that tale than I could. I was...unconscious when I was found," The girl paused, wondering why she hadn't asked Haldir about how she had come to be found before. "But that is a tale to be told in morning hours, not now. Rest now, especially you, Frodo, nothing will harm you in Lórien, and especially not when Haldir is on watch. I am going to my talan myself to get a good night's rest. I highly suggest that you all do the same. If you need me, any of the Lórien Elves know where to find me. Just ask," Taryn gave a curt nod, locked eyes with Aragorn and Legolas, and turned to leave.   
  
    "_Namarie, mellonim,_" A fair voice called out to my back, and I turned to see Legolas smiling faintly.   
  
    "_Namarie, Legolas Thranduilion. Quel anduune._"   
  
    Taryn had nearly made it back to her _talan_, and was quickly becoming overtaken by sleep, when a familiar voice called out.   
  
    "_Taryn._" She whirled, her tunic flapping with the swift movement.   
  
    "Haldir," She smiled, and instantly found herself in the arms of the Marchwarden. Whether it was of his doing or hers, she didn't know, and found she didn't even care. "What are you doing here? I thought you had to go back out North..."   
  
    "I do," he hung his head. "But I came to warn you of a certain....character." His eyes danced over in the direction of the Fellowship's camp.   
  
    "Boromir?"   
  
    Haldir nodded and Taryn raised an eyebrow.   
  
    "Is it because of his demeanor, or his...lack of respect that worries you, Marchwarden?" Taryn gave a half-laugh.   
  
    "It is no laughing matter, Taryn. I do not trust him, but Lady Galadriel bids that we must trust the Company." Haldir's eyes narrowed and he seemed to bristle in anticipation of a confrontation with the Man from Gondor, showing off his subborn attitude and arrogance that he was known so well for throughout all of Lórien.   
  
    "I know quite well all that he has done and will- and is capable of doing, Haldir. Let it rest. Go to your brothers, keep swift eyes, _Haldir o Lórien_, I get the feeling they will be needed soon, and this Fellowship will be here for quite a while. You might as well get used to them," Taryn gave Haldir a wink and a chaste kiss before raising the hem of her gown in frint of her and skipping off through the forest to her _talan_, Haldir's eyes on her retreating form the entire way. As soon as she had disappeared from his line of vision, he swept his eyes in the direction of the Fellowship's camp one more time.   
  
    What was it that Taryn was going to say? She was _still_ hiding things from him, even though she said that she wouldn't. Perhaps even she did not know all of the mechanics of how she had come to be in Lórien. The Man he held in question danced in and out of his sight, and his eyes narrowed.   
  
    _'Let it rest.'_   
  
    Let it rest, _indeed_. Haldir planned on doing nothing of the sort. He knew the Man was up to something, and he intended to find out what. Haldir turned on his heel and headed out toward his brothers and for the fences of Lothlórien, grumbling the entire way.   
  


*

  
  
    Taryn flopped herself down upon the bed in her _talan_, and clasped her hands behind her head with a sigh. Haldir was so on edge about Boromir. She couldn't recall him being so...objective to Boromir in the books, or even in the movies for that matter. Perhaps it dealt with the fact that he was not one of the main characters that Tolkien chose not to go into detail about the Marchwarden and his family. Rúmil and Orophin had been but ghosts in the novels, and in the movies nothing more than scant figures in a scene. Taryn was confused. The whole matter was confusing.   
  
    Taryn sat up and casually took the Necklace off of her neck. For the first time since Galadriel had removed it from her neck, Taryn felt the weight of the stone in the palm of her hand. Indeed, it was a heavy trinket. The stone swirled in her hand and if she listened close enough, the Necklace seemed to make a purring noise just as would emanate from a content cat. Taryn smiled. Such a beautiful object...surely it couldn't hold powers as Galadriel had said in the Library. Just as Taryn had that thought, something happened, and Taryn was taken somewhere else entirely where the ground was covered with a dense fog, and her surroundings were a dark blur.   
  
    Taryn stood, her dress ruffling in the slight breeze. To herself, she wondered where she was.   
  
    "_Hello, Taryn,_" A disembodied feminine voice spoke to her. "_Do not be afraid._"   
  
    Taryn whirled. "Who's to be afraid?" She spoke with a trembling voice.   
  
    The voice laughed, and Taryn watched as a woman, as beautiful as she had ever seen, stepped from the shadows and materialized before her.   
  
    If possible, this woman was as beautiful as Galadriel. Her hair was of gold and had the silkiest consistency that Taryn had ever seen, and her eyes were the bluest of blues that sparkled with life and excitement. She was an Elf, Taryn knew, because the first thing that caught her eye was the woman's ears. Her cheekbones were brilliantly sculpted, and her build was lean and toned. She was quite the beauty, and at the first glance Taryn wondered if she was Lúthien Tinúviel re-embodied.   
  
    "I see you have found my Necklace," the woman smiled and motioned to the Necklace that Taryn still held in her hand. "A good thing as well. I thought it would never come to you at that rate."   
  
    Taryn glanced at the woman in a confused manner and then looked down at the Necklace, which was now swirling at a dangerous rate. "_Your_ Necklace?"   
  
    She nodded sadly. "I was the original Bearer of the Necklace, but when I found my _eldar_ I was told that I had to give up my posession because he was not one who could wield its mate properly. It was my greatest weapon and ally."   
  
    "Does it pain you now that I have it? That you cannot be its keeper anymore?" Taryn stepped forward, wanting to get a closer look at this mysterious woman.   
  
    "No," She smiled a smile that was so familiar to Taryn that the girl felt a bit dizzy. "I believe that the Necklace was meant for you...and I was merely its Guardian. That makes me _your_ Guardian now."   
  
    "My Guardian? What am I that I need to have a Guardian?"   
  
    The woman stepped closer to Taryn and took her hand in hers. It was then that Taryn noticed how pale the woman was. Her green eyes danced up to the woman's blue eyes, and the Guardian smiled.   
  
    "Your eyes..," she sighed. "I must tell you a story, sometime, Taryn," she paused shortly and gathered her thoughts. "You, little one, are a Bearer who will bring peace to Middle-earth by aiding the Company in destroying the One Ring, and the length of that peace will be determined by your loyalty to the Company, and moreover, when you realize who it is that you _truly_ are."   
  
    "Who I _truly_ am? I'm an eighteen-year-old girl trapped in a 2,000-year-old Elf's body. What more do I need to know?" Taryn cried, wanting to hear everything, and then again wanting to hear nothing of what this woman had to say.   
  
    "You need to know that you are noble. You are respected. You are the daughter of noble patronage..."   
  
    "Noble patronage my _ass_!" At that, Taryn rose from her seating. "I never knew my mother...and as far as I know, she never even _existed_! And my _father_! Let's not _EVEN_ get me started on him!"   
  
    "Your father did what he thought was best..."   
  
    "Well, he thought _wrong_!" Taryn turned about and took three strides away from the woman before turning back to see hurt dancing in her eyes. The look in the woman's eyes never even registered with the fuming girl, and Taryn continued on. "You know....there's something wrong with a man who leaves his _only daughter_, the one remaining piece of proof that he had loved, and had _been_ loved in return, with someone she never even knew existed. I never knew my grandparents until _HE_ pawned me off and left me on their doorstep," by this time, the tears were raging down Taryn's face, her normally placid features wrenched by years of not letting out her frustrations. Somehow this woman was capable of getting out of Taryn everything she had ever held inside, and it ate at her that this strange woman could hold such power over her to accomplish such a feat as this.   
  
    "Taryn..."   
  
    Taryn looked up, wiping away her tears angrily. "How do you know my name?"   
  
    The woman's eyes widened in shock, and her mouth opened and closed time and again without emitting a sound.   
  
    "How do you know my _name_?! How do you know everything about me? And how can you get me to tell you everything about my life that I have never told another living soul?" Taryn fell to her knees and the woman rushed over to embrace Taryn. The girl was too tired and exhausted to shove the woman away, otherwise she would have done it at the first touch the woman gave her.   
  
    "I know everything about you, because you are a part of me, and I am a part of you. Our connection runs beyond this Necklace, or anything worldly. My name is Aisling in your tongue, but to the Elves, it is Taraedhel."   
  
    Taryn looked up at the woman, and in her eyes something familiar burned that only Taryn could recognize. A flame burned in her eyes that Taryn knew was hard to quell. She knew, because that flame was mirrored in her own eyes.   
  
    "To you," the woman, Taryn's Guardian, Taraedhel, continued. "I am your mother."  
  
    Taryn's eyes widened in shock, and then everything faded to black. 


	10. Lesson the First

_Hiril nín – _My lady.  
_Maer_ – Yes.  
_Cyll_ – Bearer.  
_Sigil _– Necklace.  
_Hannon le, hiril _– Thank you, Lady.  
_Flet – _you should DEFINITELY know this by now…no hints.  
_Hithlain – _strong elven rope.  
_Mela _– love  
_Hîr nin, hiril nín… _– My lord, my lady…  
_Naneth – _mother

Nine  
_Lesson the First_

**_T_**aryn awoke to the sound of songbirds and a bright light shining in her eyes. Taryn could only assume that it was the sun. She grunted in exasperation and tried to roll over, but found herself held down by several piles of garments on her bed.

"What is _this_!" She shrieked, something very much human in a world full of elves. An Elvish tongue met her confused cry.

"_Hiril nín_," Taryn looked up to see Uruviel bow before her timidly. "I have been sent to awaken you. The Lady Galadriel requests your presence this morning at the meeting with the Fellowship. There is a…competition that you are requested to attend, and compete in, should you feel you would like to."

Taryn propped herself up on her elbows. "A competition?"

"_Maer_," Uruviel answered. "Archery, _hiril nín. _It is your favorite, is it not?"

Taryn simply shrugged and spoke with a laugh. "Whichever answer will prompt you to help me get these garments off of me is the one I will give, Uruviel."

Taryn watched as Uruviel's eyes widened and she rushed to Taryn's bedside. Taryn grabbed her hand before she could move anything. Uruviel looked into Taryn's eyes as if she were something to be feared, and Taryn gave her hand a small pat. "Do not fear me, Uruviel. I will do you no harm, I promise."

"_Hannon le, hiril_. That means very much to me," Uruviel spoke quietly as if she was unsure whether or not she should be speaking such things. "Your…abilities have some of the elf-kind wondering, Lady Taryn. We wonder if…if you are the Lady of prophecy spoken of long ago. But then we know that if you are the girl of the prophecy that the Lady Galadriel would have taken you under her wing – which she seems to have done already – and teach you all of the controls of your gifts."

Uruviel went about her tasks, sorting the clothes into various places while Taryn remained sitting on her elbows watching her with serious interest.

"The Lady told me of a prophecy just yesterday," Taryn replied, equally as quietly. "What do you know about it, Uruviel?"

"It is not my place to know, Lady Taryn. Nor is it my place to tell you."

"Uruviel!" Taryn cried as she jolted upright. "You have _already_ said too much. Please tell me what it is you know! I will wear a gown to the competition _and_ compete in it if you will tell me everything!"

Taryn's eyes flitted over Uruviel's face as the elf-woman contemplated her response.

"You are correct, Lady Taryn. I have spoken too much; therefore I _must_ speak no more," came her reply as she set about choosing thinner, less ornate dresses for Taryn to wear to the competition.

"Oh, Uruviel! Please speak! You know how I hate games like this!" Taryn pleaded and Uruviel could not hold in her laughter.

Indeed, Uruviel _did_ know how Taryn hated guessing games. She had seen it time and again when Haldir would play like this with the Lady Taryn far out into the woods when he would give her Elvish lessons. The lessons perplexed Uruviel even further, but she daren't tell any of the Lorien elves of the occurrence. Surely this had to be the Lady of the prophecy, for her to be an elf and not know her own language!

"All right, Lady Taryn. I shall tell you what I know, though it is not much," she relinquished, "if you will wear this dress to the competition."

The dress that Uruviel held out was, of course, a grey gown that Taryn was sure would leave a trail of cloth behind her, yet not snag on any of the branches, sticks, or leaves on the forest floor. The sleeves were solid up until the elbows where they became slit all the way to the floor. Uruviel turned the dress around so that Taryn could see the back, and the girl gasped. The back was very much non-existent, but in its place was an intricate criss-cross of tiny jewels that looked and shined like diamonds that would come down to nearly the tailbone of its wearer. Taryn's hand covered her mouth as she looked at the gown. She shoved the rest of the garments off onto the floor and reached out to touch the beautiful dress Uruviel held out to her.

"Was this in my wardrobe?" Taryn inquired out of awe.

"The Lady placed it there early this morning, along with a belt of diamonds to hang about your waist."

"She wanted me to wear this?" Taryn asked, still fingering what she found to be almost silk-like fabric, though looking at it made her think that it was nearly as course as burlap. Uruviel nodded. Taryn's lips curved into a wide grin. "For Haldir?"

Uruviel grinned and nodded again as she draped the garment over the girl's shoulder. "I believe so."

Taryn's grin curved up even farther into an ear-to-ear smile that danced in her eyes. "Then go! I've got to get dressed!" Taryn shooed Uruviel out of the door of the _flet_ and grabbed her hand before the woman could descend the _hithlain_ ladder. "But don't go far. You have to help me fix my hair."

Taryn gave the elf woman a wink and retreated back into her _flet _to dress. She slipped her nightgown off with ease and pulled the grey garment over her head. The gown fell over her body with ease and fit her to perfection. The bodice was tight, but not excruciatingly so, and the diamond criss-crosses hung somewhat loosely in back, exactly the way they were supposed to. The train of the dress pooled around Taryn's bare feet and she swished it back and forth with her hands to get a feel for the movement of the material. She then opened the wardrobe fashioned of what had once been a _Mellyrn_ tree long, long ago and on the door's hook laid a diamond belt. Taryn pulled it off the hook and took a long look at the ornament.

The diamonds were chained together with what could have been a wire of _mithril_, and on one end was a diamond that was about the size of a quarter. There was a silver ring on the other end, and Taryn looped the belt around her waist, sliding the large diamond through the silver ring. The large diamond acted as a weight and held the belt perfectly in place so that it veered down over her hips in a "V" shape. Taryn bounded over to the vanity mirror in the corner and peered at herself, turning circles before it and laughing giddily. In the mirror, she saw the door open and Uruviel poke her head into the room.

"Uruviel! Come and look!" Taryn called out, still swishing the gown about her ankles and turning circles to better see herself in the mirror. Uruviel stepped up behind her and pinched a piece of the garment between her thumb and index fingers. She pulled her pinch of fabric from Taryn as the girl grew still but never lost her ear-to-ear smile. In fact, she gained a pleased look in her eyes. "What do you think, Uruviel? Will it do?"

Uruviel nodded. "I think that this shall do very well. Come," she beckoned for Taryn to take a seat in front of the vanity. "We must finish your dressing."

Taryn took her seat and fidgeted in the seat for a moment before growing still. As soon as she quieted down, Uruviel set to work on her hair. In a short time, Taryn was a glowing beauty. She was offered makeup, which she barely applied: the slightest hint of black pencil-ish eyeliner, a bluish-grey eye shadow _only_ along the lip of her eyelids, and a light hint of a pink cheek tint. Taryn glowed with eagerness and happiness when she finally added a bit of her own lip gloss to the makeup, which had been returned to her by Galadriel sometime during the night. The girl-elf's hair was piled in curls atop of her head and one fell down softly on either side of her face while two, maybe three, curls fell down the back of her head to rest on her shoulders. Taryn, if possible, smiled wider.

She was ready for this…_oh_, so ready…

* * *

**_T_**he arrows whizzed by, one after another, as they struck their intended targets. Legolas and Haldir were neck and neck with each other and Aragorn followed their lead very closely in their trial runs. The Lord and Lady of the Wood grinned proudly at their kinsfolk. Galadriel looked up as she saw a young elf maiden with golden hair walking eagerly toward the competing male elves. The Lady of the Wood smiled proudly as she stood.

"Might I interrupt your festivities for one moment?" She projected her voice into the hustle and bustle, and the entire population of the wooded area directly surrounding her turned their eyes to her. Taryn paused and glanced at the Lady, bowing her head in respect. Galadriel acknowledged her with a nod of her own, and turned to look at all of the elves, hobbits, and men with a wide, proud smile on her face. "May I present to all here in this Wood, the Lady Taryn Moynihan."

Galadriel made a gracious sweeping motion with her arm and all eyes turned to Taryn. The girl blushed slightly as all attention moved to her, but her eyes landed on Haldir, and once again, she was sure of herself. She started toward him without another pause, and he took up her hand and brought it to his lips, both of them oblivious to the looks and whispers around them.

"_Hiril nín_, you look…_beautiful,_" Haldir spoke as he raised her hand higher into the air to spin her around. He gave her a once-over as he spun her around and when Taryn met his eyes once again, he was beaming. "This dress looks perfect on you, _mela_. Where did you find it?"

"It was a gift," Taryn said softly as she cast a quick glance to Galadriel who looked nearly as intrigued as Haldir. "Tell me you weren't about to start without me!" She grinned as she laid a kiss on Haldir's cheek. He smiled down at the girl, and she returned the smile with another kiss.

Galadriel looked up from the two as another female elf joined her. "Once again," The Lady of the Golden Wood spoke loudly. "I interrupt to present to you my final guests of honor, the Lady Taraedhel of the Grey Havens, and her husband, Adam Moynihan."

Taryn stood too shocked to move. The smile on her face was gone, and without moving, she knew that the bounce in her step would be gone as well. She didn't _dare_ turn around before she gained her composure, and Haldir caught the panicked look on her face as her eyes danced wildly taking in everything but seeing nothing behind him.

"Taryn? Taryn? _Mela_, speak to me. What is wrong? What can I do?" Haldir dipped himself down to her height to try to look into her green eyes.

"You can do nothing, my dear Haldir, unless you can convince the Lady to see _Him_ out," Taryn replied coldly. She raised her eyes to meet his and Haldir took a step back at the look in them.

"Why, Taryn? Who is he to you?" Haldir was clueless. She still hadn't told him everything about herself. He still had barely a glimpse of who she was or how she had come to be here, or what his role in her unfolding story would come to be, but he somehow didn't care. He wanted to know her, but more than that, Haldir just wanted to love Taryn and have her love him in return.

Was she a lover scorned by this man in the past? She was, after all, a 3,000-year-old elf, and elves were known to take Men for lovers in attempt to conceive a child. None had succeeded yet, but it _had_ been known to happen in the North. If this girl was one of his Northern kindred, then that would explain many things, and it would make plenty of sense, with the story that she had told him the first day that they had met, about losing her sense of language _if_ she had spent many years amongst the Men of Middle-earth.

Taryn fumbled for words, and she could feel eyes burning into her back. "He…Haldir...," she looked up with unshed tears bristling in her eyes. "He's my father."

"Taryn, come here a moment, please, child." The voice of the Lady Galadriel at that moment was not something that Taryn welcomed. In fact, it was nearly the last thing that she wanted to hear. She didn't want to go.

_'Taryn,' _The Lady's voice echoed inside her head,_ 'this is to be your first lesson as Bearer of the Necklace. The things that you will most desire **not** to do are the ones that matter the most. Come to us, Taryn. You will not fail here.'_

Taryn looked up at Haldir and blinked away her tears. She would not let the past eat at her. She would be strong. She would be one to help restore Middle-earth to its former glory, and she would not let something like a grudge hold her back. "I have to go to them," She spoke quietly and Haldir nodded. "I have to make things right."

"Then go, _mela_, I will be here. After you have finished, we shall begin our competition," Haldir replied with a smile. "We wouldn't dream of beginning without you."

Taryn stood on tiptoe, the toes of her grey elven boots sticking out just barely from underneath the dress, and gave Haldir a soft kiss. "I will be back soon," she whispered against his lips before turning and clearing her throat. Taryn kept her eyes on Galadriel as she walked over to the Lady of the Wood, Celeborn, and their companions. Taryn had dreamt of this day for many a year, but all of the words that she had planned to come from her mouth had been insults, and this was hardly the place for such conversation. So, what to say?

_'You know yourself, Taryn. Nevertheless, do keep in mind that you are noble. Speak as nobility would, and you will not fail this first test,'_ Galadriel's voice echoed through her head once more and the Lady of the Wood gave Taryn a bow of her head. Taryn averted her eyes for the moment, and when she came to the first of the three steps leading up to the Lord and Lady's seats, she curtsied, and raised her eyes to each of them first.

"_H__îr nin, hiril nín_," she greeted them in Sindarin before turning her eyes to the woman she had met in the dreamscape of the previous night. To Taryn, she did not glow as she had the night before. In the light of morning, she looked almost plain, if an elf _could_ be plain. Her hair glittered, as did her eyes, but her skin was pale and smooth. She was dressed in a gown covered in sequins that sparkled when she moved, and her smile was only half in place as Taryn looked at her. Taryn took a breath and greeted her as well with a bow of her head. "_Naneth_," she spoke, and whispers ran around the clearing. She then turned reluctant eyes to Taraedhel's left, where her father sat. His hair was grey in patches just behind his ears, just as she remembered him. It seemed to Taryn that he hadn't aged at all. He gave her a nervous smile, but didn't try to sit up straight in his chair. She remembered that his custom was to slouch in chairs, no matter the occasion, and it had always made her angry that he didn't try to appear sophisticated. Evidently time had not changed his manners, or lack thereof. The most important thing that had caught Taryn's eyes was his ears.

They were normal.

She looked at him and held her head high. She would be strong, no matter what is cost her or her pride.

"Hello, Father."


End file.
